The present invention relates to a transmitter and particularly to a polar modulator in a transmitter.
Transmitters typically contain some sort of baseband processing, followed by a modulator, an amplifier, and an antenna that transmits signals to remote locations. With the proliferation of mobile terminals and wireless LANs, transmitters are becoming more and more common.
In transmitters using linear modulation schemes, the traditional method of realizing the transmit signal has been to use a quadrature modulator to create a signal containing both amplitude and phase components. This signal is then amplified by the amplifier to create the final output signal that passes to the antenna.
The problem with the traditional approach is that it requires a linear power amplifier, which is not as efficient as a non-linear power amplifier operating in saturation. Further, the quadrature modulator must draw significant current to make noise specifications without additional filtering. Still further, the transmit path is not compatible with newer, more efficient GSM transmit methodologies. For example, while a non-linear amplifier might work with a Gaussian minimum-shift keying (GMSK) mode, it would not work with an Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) mode. This hinders the ability to use such approaches in multimode mobile terminals.
One alternative to the quadrature approach is the use of a polar modulator where phase information is passed through a non-linear power amplifier, and the amplitude signal is applied to the power amplifier by a second path. Such polar modulators have problems as well. Specifically, it is difficult to cause the amplitude and phase signals to arrive at the power amplifier at the same time. This is especially true in the analog systems used to date for polar modulated transmitters. Analog components not only have time delays that vary between the paths as a function of the number of components, but also vary as a result of manufacturing tolerances. Thus, no standard time alignment can be used for a transmitter. Instead, each transmitter must have a customized time alignment device, or the tolerances must be so precise that it becomes uneconomical for production. Most polar modulators also still have a quadrature modulator with its attendant current drain.
Thus, there remains a need for better modulators in transmitters.
The present invention uses a polar converter within a polar modulator to create an amplitude signal and a frequency signal, and digitally adjusts the signals so that the frequency and amplitude signals arrive at a power amplifier at the appropriate times. A digital predistortion filter is applied to the frequency signal. The frequency signal is then provided to a single port of a fractional N divider in a phase locked loop. The output of the phase locked loop drives an input of the power amplifier. Meanwhile, the amplitude signal is converted to an analog signal and controls the power supply input of the power amplifier.
In particular, the data representing the signal to be transmitted is received and mapped onto I and Q components. Each I and Q component is filtered and converted to frequency and amplitude signals in a polar coordinate system. The signals are adjusted in amplitude and time. The amplitude signal is converted to an analog signal and ramped up for use at the power amplifier. The frequency signal is digitally filtered and digitally predistorted before being introduced into a fractional N divider of a phase locked loop. The output of the phase locked loop drives the power amplifier.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present invention and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures.